One of the highlights of our Barcelona trip was a visit to the Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya, housed in the magnificent Palau Nacional at the base of Montjuic Mountain. Oblivious to both the pigeon atop her head and the stately palace directly behind her (as well as artist Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece La Sagrada Familia to the distant right), the statued woman stares intently toward the more modern architecture that has risen before her.

I can’t fathom getting used to a view such as this. Resisting the head swivel is a continuous dilemma when driving roads such as Colorado’s State Route 82 as it winds its scenic way from Twin Lakes, through Independence Pass, to Aspen (thank goodness for scenic overlooks). We paused here before crossing the Continental Divide. It was the first day of our Colorado hiking adventure. The astonishment of one stunning view was at battle with my curiosity about the next.

No, not a travel photo, but these orchid blooms represent a journey. The plant was the last gift I gave my grandma as she entered a decline. I held her hand when she died on Thanksgiving in 2010 and took the scraggly plant home with me, hoping I could nurse it back to life again. I miss my grandma terribly. Doing things for her did something special for me. The orchid bloomed for the first time a couple of days ago. It makes me smile every time I look at it.